Make-Out with Violence (2008)

A genre-bending tale of a boy trying to fulfill his unrequited love for a girl who has risen from the dead. It tells the story of twin brothers Patrick and Carol Darling, newly graduated ... See full summary »

Director:

Deagol Brothers

Writers:

Deagol Brothers, Cody DeVos

Stars:

Brett Miller, Shellie Marie Shartzer, David Fuqua

7 wins.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Brett Miller	...	Beetle Darling
Shellie Marie Shartzer	...	Wendy Hearst
David Fuqua	...	Guru
Zach Duensing	...	Hunter #1
Gail Sparks	...	Hunter #2
Mike Luckett	...	The Trespasser
Cody DeVos	...	Carol Darling
Eric Lehning	...	Patrick Darling
Jack Doyle	...	Mr. Darling
Jordan Lehning	...	Rody Carrigan
Patricia Doyle	...	Mrs. Carrigan
David Mead	...	Mr. Carrigan
Leah High	...	Addy Greer
Sharon Jones	...	Chaperone
Dale Rainey	...	Janie Carlise

Storyline

A genre-bending tale of a boy trying to fulfill his unrequited love for a girl who has risen from the dead. It tells the story of twin brothers Patrick and Carol Darling, newly graduated from high school and struggling to come to terms with the mysterious disappearance of their friend, the bright and beautiful Wendy Hearst. When a drive through the countryside surrounding their suburban community leads to the discovery of Wendy's mysteriously animated corpse, the boys secretly transport the un-dead Wendy to an empty house in hopes of somehow bringing her back to life. As the sweltering summer pushes on, they must maintain the appearance of normalcy for their friends and family as they search for ways to revive the Wendy they once knew, or, failing that, to satisfy their own quests for love amongst the living and the dead.

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Plot Keywords:

love | twin | unrequited love | summer | high school | 

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Taglines:

Dead is the present tense

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Genres:

Comedy | Fantasy | Horror | Romance

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Certificate:

Not Rated

Details

Official Sites:

Official MySpace Official Site

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

8 July 2011 (Australia)

Also Known As:

Wendy, Darling

Filming Locations:

Hendersonville, Tennessee, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$150,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Limerent Pictures

Technical Specs

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Based on requests from film festival audiences composer Jordan Lehning went back to the film's music stems and finalized all songs for a soundtrack release (credited to The Non-Commissioned Officers). Upon its completion (realized to coincide with the film's appearance at SXSW) the album's runtime eclipsed that of the movie by 20 minutes.

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Goofs

As Rody walks home during his introduction his shoes change from shot to shot.

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Quotes

Anne Haran: I think that's a good idea Addy.

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Crazy Credits

In memory of our friends Craig Bond and Manda Curry

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Alternate Versions

Due to music rights issues, Leah High's cover of the Brian Eno song "St. Elmo's Fire" only appears in the USA/Canada Release version of the film. All other releases contain the replacement song "Honest Fool" written by Jordan Lehning and performed by Leah High.

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Soundtracks

Gentlemen of Fortune
Written by Buddy Hughen and Eric Lehning
Performed by Buddy Hughen and Eric Lehning
Published by Buddy Hughen Songs/Eric Lehning

User Reviews

What to Do When Your Girlfriend's Undead?

There are enough stylistic coups to indicate that the creators of "Make-Out with Violence," an uneasy genre-bending tale about twin brothers who are keeping the not-quite-dead (or once but no longer dead) object of the oldest brother's affections on ice in the bathtub of a friend's house, have potential to make a really good movie. However, this isn't that movie. It's not especially bad, but it suffers from a lack of confidence in tone. The writers and directors pitch it somewhere between the deadpan humor of "Napolean Dynamite" and the disturbing surrealism of "Donnie Darko," but don't commit fully in either direction. Therefore, it too often leaves the audience feeling adrift, not sure how we're supposed to be reacting.

It doesn't help that the majority of the acting is sub-par, especially that of the actor who has perhaps the most crucial role, Patrick (Eric Lehning), the older (by minutes) brother. Cody DeVos, on the other hand, playing the younger twin Carol, goes a long way if not quite all the way at making up for what Lehning fails to deliver. Leah High, as Addy, love interest for Carol, does some nice work, but Jordan Lehning, as the friend who lends his house to a zombie, and Brett Miller as Beetle, the younger brother of Patrick and Carol who also serves as our narrator, are weak.

The film's central conceit -- that Patrick's love for a zombie is a symbol for all the unrequited angst-filled yearnings swirling around this group of almost-adults over the course of a lazy summer -- is a good one, and the movie's not a total wash by a long shot. But mostly it spends its running time being just good enough to make you wish it was better.

Grade: B-